Monday, July 7, 2014

Makeup Monday!

I thought I'd share a few of my current makeup favorites for Makeup Monday with y'all! I've included little mini reviews for each product, so hopefully that will help if you're curious about any of them. (Sorry this is posting on Tuesday; I wrote a draft of it on Sunday, and wasn't feeling well Monday, so just now up to posting. :) Enjoy! )

Back row:

- Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette (Absolutely LOVE this palette; each shade casts a very gentle glow on your skin, sans too much shimmer or glitter. This is a gorgeous powder palette and it looks like a natural glow from within. I normally use this towards the end of applying my makeup after most of it is finished. Sometimes I use the colors swirled together, sometimes I use only one shade, and sometimes I use each shade to accentuate the contours of my face in different areas. Not pictured, but I apply it with the Hourglass Ambient Powder Brush.

-NARS Laguna Bronzer: This is my second container of it! This is my favorite bronzer because it's suitable for even very fair skin tones like mine, and it creates a natural glow. Used correctly, this bronzer will not make you like an orange "Oompa Loompa". I typically use this one as an all, over light dusting of bronzer. Today I contoured with it as well, although I prefer a different product for that typically.

-elf Complexion Perfection: This is also my second one, and as you can see I've already hit pan on this one! Let's just say that I LOVE this powder! At only $3, it is an excellent bargain and really does a good job of neutralizing skin discoloration. I use this right after I've applied primer, and before foundation, as an all-over color correcting powder on my face, to neutralize any discoloration with my skin, and help my foundation apply more evenly.

| Second row:

-Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Undereye Powder: This is the one product that I use everyday, regardless of the makeup look; it's excellent, and absolutely my most "holy grail" makeup item! It blurs visible fine lines, smooths your undereye area, and brightens it. Most importantly, it completely keeps your eye make, liner, and mascara from venturing south of where you placed it...all day long! Your eye makeup will stay flawlessly in place if you use this! I even deported a little of this intro a small sample jar that I keep with the makeup bag in my purse, just because it's that terrific!

-OCC Lip Tar in "yaoi": This shade is a lovely medium hot pink, with a bit of shimmer. I use this after I've lined my lips with "Ozone" from Urban Decay so the shimmer doesn't travel outside of my lip line. After I've finished my lip look, I normally set everything with the clear OCC Lip Tar keep it in place.

- Ulta baked eyeshadow duo in, "Covet". I have two of these and I love them! You can use them dry for a more daytime friendly look, or wet with a brush, for a more defined nighttime look. You can use the lighter side as an all-over lid shade, & the darker color as a wet liner or a more defined crease color. You can swirl them together, etc! I love the flexibility of baked eyeshadows. (Also if you're wondering, the three eyeshadows pictured have all been depotted, and are usually keep inside of a Z-palette.)

-elf baked eyeshadow in, "Toasted": this eyeshadow is beautiful! I absolutely love the looks I can create with it. It's also very budget friendly!

-MAC Mineralize Eyeshadow in, "Cloudy Afternoon". (I believe this one was limited edition a while back, so I'm not sure if it's still available. If you can find it, it is beautiful!)

-Urban Decay primer potion mini. I've have gone through so many tubes of this over the years! I always seem to wind up with free samples and minis of it from different gift sets and palettes, to the point that I have never actually bought a full sized, and have two more samples ready to be she's once this one is empty. This one I apply after eye cream. It helps to prep your eye area for makeup and eyeliner, and makes the colors pop more, and last longer through the day.

| Third Row:

-Loreal Infalliable 24Hr Lacquer Liner: I tried this gel eyeliner after reading good reviews online. I'm still deciding if I like it right now, but I'll eventually do an updated post on it later. So far, the color stays well on the top and lower lash line, but vanishes on the waterline, so I use a pencil there. I also have problems with it taking a while to dry and transferring from my top lash line to my eyelid, *so far* I'm not in love, but also not disliking it enough to quit using it yet. I use a different brush to apply it with than the one it came with; the one it came with was too large for my eyeshape, and the thinner line I prefer.

-Benefit High Beam: this product is so versatile and beautiful! It's a liquid highlighter, but it can also be mixed with foundation for a more dewy, finish to your makeup, or used as a gorgeous highlighter for contouring, which is how I used it today.

-MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in, Natural, "Light".: I love this MSF for setting my makeup after I'm finished with it. I apply a light dusting of this all over my face. I gently apply and roll it with a makeup sponge, to minimize any visibly enlarged pores or shiny areas. Then, I take a clean fan brush without any product on it, and dust off the excess from my skin to prevent it from looking cakey.

-Revlon Lip Butter in, "Lollipop": this is just a fun, light pop of color for the lips, that won't leave your lips as dry as the Sahara! I reach for the Revlon Lip Butters in my collection on a daily basis; they are just awesome! My only gripe is that I wish the stating power were better and they were a little less slippery, since some tend to migrate outside of the lipline after a bit of wear. I actually blended it on a PawPalette, and mixed it with the OCC lip tar in "Yaoi" for a more unique, lasting color.

-Model Co Cheek & Lip Stain in, "Rosy Tint": this was an item I recived in an old Glossybox, and I love it! I use a Real Techniqes stippling brush to gently put a tiny amount in place on my cheeks, and then a more dense, Sigma angled kabuki brush to blend it in. This shade gives a beautiful rosy flush to the cheeks and looks very natural. You can wear it on its own, or combine it with a powder blush on top for my emphasis. Today, I thought to was beautiful on it's own. A little goes a long way with the product, so apply it sparingly and blend it well.

Fourth Row (not really a row, but I'll list them all together from here.)

Urban Decay "Deslick" setting spray (old packaging. I have used this product daily for several years. It is my favorite setting spray to really lock in my makeup, and keep me from getting too oily. It is so nice and refreshing to use! (This is the older packaging that I am finishing up; I've gone through several bottles of this stuff and can't recommend it enough.)

-Makeup Forever Mat Velvet + Foundation: This is a foundation that I only reach for in the summer, since it can normally be a little drying to some of the small dry patches around my nose. But, during the summer when I'm more oily, I love this because it is waterproof and sweatproof. It stays flawless all day long! I applied it with the Tarte Airbrush, then blended everything in well with a damp beauty blender sponge.

-Maybelline "The Rocket" mascara: one of my favorite mascara! This one works well on its own, or layered in combination with other mascaras for a more dramatic look.

-NARS eyeliner in "Via Venito"- this is the best eyeliner I've found for my eye type so far. It doesn't irritate my sensitive eyes, and stays in place all day long, even on the waterline. My only complaint is that since it is an automatic liner, it can dull more easily, and it doesn't sharpen to a fine point with the automatic liner sharpener on the end of it. Otherwise, this is an excellent liner. I already have a backup of this one for when I run out, because I never want to be without it!

-Urban Decay lip liner in "ozone" . The transparent clear can be paired with any lip color, so it's more versatile than buying a lip pencil to match every lip color you wear. I use it to line outside of my lips to prevent feathering, and also all-over my lips to lock the colors I apply in place. After applying to the lips, I use a small lip brush to blend it all over so that my lip color applies smoothly on top of it.(I love the Real Techniques lip brushes!)

-NARS Creamy Radiant Concealer: this concealer is wonderful! Since it is creamy, it doesn't accentuate my dry patches. It covers blemishes and redness very well.

-Maybelline a Color Tattoo "Bad to the Bronze": This makes such a great bronze eyeshadow base. After applying eyeshadow primer, I apply this, then blend it in well, and place powder shadows on top of it. Sometimes, I wear the Color Tattoos on their own too. I haven't purchased a single MAC Paint Pot since I switched to these because these are much better quality, at a more affordable price!

-Smashbox "Full Exposure" mascara sample. I honestly hate this mascara sample, and would not recommend it. It doesn't really lengthen, volumize, or define my lashes, and it flakes off entirely too easily. When this mascara flakes, it irritates my eyes. There are far less pricy items available in the drugstore that make my lashes look much better. I was just trying to use this sample up to not be wasteful. I layered it with "The Rocket" from Maybelline.

-Benefit, "Bella Bomba" lipgloss mini. I LOVE the lip glosses from Benefit! When they had a Christmas set of minis a while back, I wasted no time getting it since I already loved the full sized tube I had of, "Dandelion" and knew I liked the other colors as well. These are beautiful. They apply smoothly, and are never sticky or tacky. These look lovely on their own, or topped over another color. Highly recommend them! (They taste great too!)

-Benefit, "The Porefessional" primer. This primer is just "ok" for me. I've gone through several free samples of it that have come in various kits and palettes. It works well and definitely makes my makeup last longer, but I feel there are better primers on the market. So, I wouldn't purchase a full size of this, but I'm thankful for the sample. I prefer the Becca Resurfacing Primer because it does a much better job of camouflaging the larger pores on my nose and chin, and seems to apply more smoothly with my foundation and other makeup.

*I hope this picture inspires those of you who love makeup to create a fun new look today, and to shop the stash of makeup that you maybe already have at home. It's fun to try out those samples and mini products and see which ones you wind up loving! Every week I like to go through and pull any minis and free samples I have and use then up, so that's why you're seeing a few smaller items here.*

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